Kevin O-Multi-Toole

How positional awareness changes a player’s value.

Just before the start of the season I took a stab at what might be the Best XI for New York City FC. Specifically, I outlined what I thought was the best way for New York City FC to play. In that piece, I suggested that there needed to be a shift in the way the Pigeon’s fullbacks operated, shifting inside to support the wingers holding their width in front of them. This also gives them more responsibility in possession and asks them to play a bit more in the midfield. However, with great power comes great responsibility and I was afraid about the pressure it would put on two very young players.

However, as this season has progressed, Tayvon Gray and Kevin O’Toole have surpassed all expectations. Arguably, they have been two of the most important players on the team this season based simply on small refinements they have both made to their game. Furthermore, what has been increasingly commendable is how adjustable Kevin has become. Specifically, how he’s gone from a relatively one-dimensional attacking fullback to a truly modern positional player.

The Toolbox

Positional evolution has changed the way the game has been played over the last several years, but no position has changed more than fullback. As The Athletic mentions in their article, “This is how Premier League’s top four use their ‘full-backs’ – just don’t call them inverted”, modern fullbacks are neither “full” nor “back” anymore. Instead, on some of the best teams they tend to play on the inside like a more defensive-minded mezzala that operates similarly to a hybridized left back, defensive midfielder, and central midfielder. 

The idea is to have a fullback operate as an extra midfielder so that teams can pass the ball in a safer manner with shorter passes that retain more possession. This allows for an overload in the midfield, provides for counter-protection, and sets up a better formation for counter-pressing if the ball is given away in the opposing final third. This can be seen in a few great teams in world soccer, specifically in teams like Arsenal where Oleksander Zinchenko will routinely step into the midfield to isolate the winger in front of him by drawing the opposing winger to cover him. As you can see on his heat map below, more often than not he is receiving the ball in the half-space where one could expect a midfielder to receive it. 

image: Oleksander Zinchenko’s heat map vs. Manchester United

Obviously not all teams use their fullbacks this way. For example, under Xabi Alonso, Jeremie Frimpong has been tasked with receiving the ball in wider spaces in an effort to pin the opposition fullback high defensively, to generate 1v1 situations, situations which the Dutch fullback thrives in. This can only happen because Bayer Leverkusen does not play with traditional wingers. In fact Jonas Hofmann, based on his heat map, profiles more like an inside forward than a traditional winger. Frimpong is given even more freedom due to the defensive cover he has from the three center backs behind him. This allows him to find space on the outside and become increasingly more dangerous on the overlap. Frimpong was one of the most dangerous attacking players in the Bundesliga this season, all because he was able to find space in an attacking area that was given to him by the player in front of him. 

image: Jeremie Frimpong heat map for the 2022/23 season in The Bundasliga

Hammer and Wrench

Why does a basic understanding of the fullback position matter if it’s played drastically differently from team to team? Simply put, being a good fullback requires a very intimate understanding of the teammate in front of you. More specifically, it requires the knowledge of what that player's tendencies are to better support the attack. Kevin O’Toole has started to develop a mastery of this. He has at times been both a “Zinchenko” with one player in front of him and a “Frimpong” when another is there. This allows for so much tactical flexibility in The Pigeon’s attacking phases of play, subsequently accenting the best qualities of the teammates in front of him, while shielding their weaknesses. He said to me in an interview, 

“The profile of the player in front of me [changes the way I play]. If Santi is in front of me, he likes to rotate in and play as sort of a “double 10”, so it is my job to hold the width and that was the plan coming into the game. With Augustin not [starting] today…I had to be the one to get up and hold the width and attack the box on the back post. When Agu came on my job became more of the traditional left back role that I’ve been playing where it’s playing on the opposite line of Agu and Agu is going to be the one to keep the [width]. So [in that moment] I can come inside and play to his feet and let him do his dribbling.”

Metronome

Positional awareness is incredibly important, but it means nothing if a player does not have the instinct for when to be where. Something Kevin has drastically improved on this season is his nuance for finding space. This can be seen in the St. Patrick’s Day goal he scored, arriving late in the middle of the box because in Kevin’s own words he, “saw space in front of me and took it”. 

However, just a simple comparison of his heat map from 2023 to 2024 can show you that he’s providing more of an outlet in varying positions. 

image: Kevin O’Toole Heatmap 2023 MLS Season        

image: Kevin O’Toole Heatmap 2024 MLS Season

Most importantly to the style of New York City is the passing outlet Kevin provides by stepping into “unexpected” areas. His passing completion percentage is a staggering ~82% preferring to make short, but consistent passes ~65% of the time. This allows New York to dictate the tempo of the game and dominate with the ball more consistently. 

The Yardstick

Kevin O’Toole’s improvement comes on the heels of massive changes in the team. In the 2024 season the Pigeons added a plethora of depth pieces in the likes of Jovan Mijatovic, Agustin Ojeda, Malachi Jones, Hannes Wolf, and more. All of these players provide very unique profiles and skillsets, and in totality, have lifted the team to a better 2024 than 2023. Each player provides their own unique profile, and distinct positional and tactical advantages. What has been interesting as an observer are the players that seem to adjust to their teammates and who has struggled to fit. Kevin uniquely has adjusted his game to get the best of the people in front of him. While it seems to be the players that score goals and get assists that get all the accolades, it is the players like Kevin that have gone relatively unnoticed in their consistency, positional awareness, and adaptability. His ability to be the “multi-tool” has been paramount to the successes this team has had this year.